INVENTORY OF LAND USE AND LAND USE PRACTICES IN THE CANADIAN GREAT LAKES BASIN REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL REFERENCE GROUP ON GREAT LANES POLLUTION FROM LAND USE ACTIVITIES Volume V: Canadian Lake Ontario Basin 1977 INVENTORY OF LAND USE AND LAND USE PRACTICES IN THE CANADIAN GREAT LAKES BASIN with Emphasis on Certain Trends and Projections to 1980, and Where Appropriate, to 2020. To be used as portion of the Canadian Task B Report on GREAT LAKES POLLUTION FROM LAND USE ACTIVITIES BY the International Joint Commission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report was assembled by many people working on the Canadian portion of the Task B Study planned through the Pollution From Land Use Activities Reference Group (PLUARG) of the International Joint Commission. Canadian participants included: Mr. John Batteke, Environment Canada Mr. J.E. Brubaker, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food Mr. Robert G. Code, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Mr. Dale Coleman, Environment Canada Mr. D.M. Gierman, Environment Canada Mrs. Elsie MacDonald, Agriculture Canada Dr. Harvey Shear, Canada Centre for Inland Waters Mrs. Anne Sudar, Environment Canada The material for these reports was assembled from existing census and other data available in 1972 - 1975. Five volumes were prepared, one each for Lakes Superior, Huron, Erie and Ontario, and a summary volume for the Canadian portion of the Great Lakes Basin. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Number ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii LIST OF TABLES vi LIST OF FIGURES viii PREFACE ix SUMMARY 1 Physical Fabric 1 Major Land Uses 1 Materials Usage 1 Future Trends 2 INTRODUCTION 3 Introduction 3 Detailed Study Plan 3 Purpose 4 1 PHYSICAL FABRIC 5 Canadian Portion of Lake Ontario Basin 5 Land Resources 5 Geology 5 Topography and Soils 5 Climate 7 Hydrology 7 Surface Water 7 Vegetation Zones and Wildlife 8 Population 9 Resource Use and Development 9 Agriculture 9 Forestry 12 Mining 12 Recreation 12 Source Materials 13 2 MAJOR LAND USES 15 Introduction 15 Land Use Classification System 15 Introduction 15 iii Page Number Results 17 Sub-Basin 10: Western Lake Ontario 17 Sub-Basin 11: Trent-Moira Rivers 17 Source Materials 21 3 SPECIALIZED LAND USES 23 Introduction 23 Disposal Operations 23 Mine Tailings Disposal Sites 23 Waste Disposal Sites 24 Introduction 24 Sub-Basin 10: Western Lake Ontario 24 Sub Basin 11: Trent-Moira 37 Summary 37 Erosion 38 Lakeshore Erosion 38 Riverbank Erosion 39 Intensive Livestock Operations 39 High Density, Non-Sewered Residential Areas 40 Introduction 40 Sub-Basin 10: Western Lake Ontario 40 Sub Basin 11: Trent-Moira 40 Summary 40 References 59 4 MATERIALS USAGE 61 Introduction 61 Agricultural Pesticides 61 Insecticides 61 Fungicides 61 Herbicides 63 Commercial Fertilizers and Agricultural Manures 63 Commercial Fertilizers 64 Agricultural Manures 65 Combined Fertilizers and Manures 66 Road Salts 66 Summary 67 Source Materials 69 iv Page Number 5 FUTURE TRENDS 71 Population 71 Economic Activity 71 Major Land Uses 75 Agriculture 75 Urban 77 Definitions 77 Summary 79 Specialized Land Use Forecasts 80 Waste Disposal 80 Erosion 80 Intensive Livestock Operations 80 High Density, Non-Sewered Residential Areas 81 Recreational Lands 81 Materials Usage Forecasts 81 Pesticides 81 Fertilizers 82 Road Salt 84 Summary 84 References 85 v LIST OF TABLES Table Page Number 1 Watershed Divisions in the Canadian Portion 8 of the Lake Ontario Basin 2 Economic Activity in the Canadian Portion 11 of the Lake Ontario Basin, 1972 3 Land Use Classification Definitions 15 4 Major Land Uses in the Western Lake Ontario 18 Sub-Basin (Sub-Basin 10) 5 Major Land Uses in the Trent-Moira Sub-Basin (Sub-Basin 11) 19 6 Mine Tailings Disposal Sites in the Canadian 23 Portion of the Lake Ontario Basin 7 Waste Disposal Sites in the Western Lake Ontario 25 Sub-Basin (Sub-Basin 10) 8 Waste Disposal Sites in the Trent-Moira Sub-basin (Sub-Basin 11) 29 9 Waste Disposal Summary for the Canadian Portion 37 of the Lake Ontario Basin 10 Reaches in the Canadian Portion of the Lake Ontario 38 Basin with Erosion Rates Greater Than 0.5 m3/m/m/yr 11 Intensive Livestock Operations in the Canadian 39 Portion of the Lake Ontario Basin 12 High Density, Non-Sewered Residential Areas in the 41 Western Lake Ontario Sub-Basin (Sub-Basin 10) 13 High Density, Non-Sewered Residential Areas in the 49 Trent-Moira Rivers Sub-Basin (Sub-Basin 11) 14 Use of Pesticides in the Canadian Portion of the Lake Ontario Basin 62 15 Farm Land Use in the Canadian Portion of the Lake Ontario Basin 63 vi Table Page Number 16 Livestock Numbers in the Canadian Portion 64 of the Lake Ontario Basin 17 Total Nutrients from Commercial Fertilizer 64 18 Estimated Annual Usage of Fertilizer Nutrients 65 19 Annual Total Nutrients from Agricultural Manure 65 20 Estimated Annual Production of Manure Nutrients 66 21 Estimated Annual Total Nutrients from Fertilizer 66 Usage and Manure Production 22 Use of Road Salt in the Canadian Portion of the 67 Lake Ontario Basin 23 Population Projections for the Canadian Portion 71 of the Lake Ontario Basin 24 Economic Activity Projections for the Lake Ontario 74 Basin, Series A 25 Agricultural Land Use Forecast for the Canadian Portion 76 of the Lake Ontario Basin 26 Urban Land Forecasts for the Canadian Portion of the 78 Lake Ontario Basin 27 Conversion of Other Land Uses to Urban Use in the 79 Canadian Lake Ontario Basin Cities, 1966-1971 28 Major Land Use Projections for the Canadian Portion 79 of the Lake Ontario Basin, 1972-2020 29 Forecast of Annual Agricultural Pesticide Use in the 82 Canadian Portion of the Lake Ontario Basin 30 Forecast Weight of Nutrients in Commercial Fertilizer 83 Used by Agriculture in the Canadian Portion of the Lake Ontario Basin vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page Number 1 Canadian Portion of the Lake Ontario Drainage Basin 6 2 Population in the Canadian Portion of the 10 Lake Ontario Basin, 1901 - 1971. viii PREFACE As its title suggests, this volume presents an Inventory of Land Use and Land Use Practices in the Canadian Great Lakes Basin, with emphasis on certain trends and projections to 1980 (and to 2020 where appropriate). The report integrates several studies by contractors and sub-contractors. These studies were part of the Canadian Task B effort for the Great Lakes Pollution from Land Use Activities Reference Group, International Joint Commission. The Task B report for the Canadian part of the Gr. eat Lakes Basin is contained in five volumes: Volume I Canadian Great Lakes Basin Summary Volume II Lake Superior Basin Volume III Lake Huron Basin Volume IV Lake Erie Basin Volume V Lake Ontario Basin Knowledge of present and future land use and land use practices are important as background for evaluating and controlling non-point sources of water pollution. This report describes and quantifies, as appropriate, the Canadian Great Lakes Basin's geology, soils, minerals, climate, surface and ground water, vegetation, wildlife, and economic and demographic characteristics. It inventories available -information on waste disposal operations, lakeshore and riverbank erosion, high-density non-sewered residential areas and recreational land uses, as well as materials application of agricultural chemicals, fertilizers, animal wastes and salts on highways. Finally, future trends and projections are shown for the above categories. This Canadian Great Lakes Basin Summary and each of the four Canadian lake basin volumes have been reviewed by Joint Task Group B, whose comments were considered before approval for final report development. This study forms a Canadian contribution to the Task B effort of the Study on Great Lakes Pollution from Land Use Activities. The study discussed in this report was carried out as part of the efforts of the Pollution from Land Use Activities Reference Group, an organization of the International Joint Commission, established under the Canada-U.S. Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1972. Findings and conclusions are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Reference Group or its recommendations to the Commission. x SUMMARY PHYSICAL FABRIC The Canadian portion of the Lake Ontario Basin occupies a land area of approximately 2,950,000 ha (7.3 million acres), comprised of two major sub-basins: Sub-Basin 10, Western Lake Ontario; and Sub-Basin 11, Trent-Moira Rivers. The northern portion of the basin is underlain by the Canadian Shield, and the remainder is underlain by sedimentary bedrock of the Paleozoic era. The climate varies with latitude and proximity to the lake, with the Niagara Fruit Belt having a climate mild enough for the production of tender fruits. The southern part of the basin lies in the Deciduous Forest Region and the northern part in the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Forest Region. The Lake Ontario Basin is the most populous and economically active of the four other Canadian Great Lakes basins. MAJOR LAND USES Agriculture is the dominant land use in the Canadian Lake Ontario Basin, covering 49 percent of the land area. Forestry is second, with 43 percent, while urban uses constitute 5 percent of the land area. SPECIALIZED LAND USES There are thirteen mine tailings disposal sites in the Trent-Moira Sub-Basin, one of which is associated with an active mine. There are 303 waste disposal sites in the Canadian portion of the Lake Ontario Basin, covering a land area of 2,885 ha (7130 acres) and receiving 17,000 t/d (37 million lb/d) of waste. Lakeshore erosion problems occur along 111 km (69 miles) of the shoreline. There are 60 intensive poultry operations, 132 intensive cattle operations, and 177 intensive swine operations in the Canadian portion of the Lake Ontario Basin.